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A Day in the Onscreen Life
See how people in the UK move across screens and devices throughout the day—and what this means for marketers looking to build effective media buying and planning strategies.
INHALTE
As the mobile becomes further enmeshed in daily life, people are using the small screen more often and in more ways. In fact, two-thirds of UK adults use messaging apps and almost half of UK adults multi-screen during their average working week.1
While mobile is always present, what does change throughout the day is how and when people go online, and which devices and apps people favor. Understanding what’s driving people to different screens—and when—can help marketers make informed choices for cross-channel strategies.
The majority of research in this article draws from the industry-wide, nationally representative IPA TouchPoints Daily Life data set, including poll and passive mobile measurement used by agencies for UK media planning and buying. Analysis was limited to adults ages 18 years and older in the UK. We looked at specific times of the day across multi-screening, messaging and heavy-mobile behavior.
Read on to journey through the online day of people living in the UK, and discover how screen time is not just for prime time.
Morning is for mobile
Many people wake each morning to a familiar buzz or ringtone from a mobile phone on a bedside table. After turning off the alarm, they then file through a stream of messages and notifications as part of their morning ritual.
Mobile use happens throughout the day, but for many people in the UK it is the first and sole screen in the morning. In fact, the IPA TouchPoints Daily Life data set tells us that from 6–6:30 am, the mobile phone is the main screen used by heavy-mobile consumers,2 exceeding laptop and any other devices.3 According to the GlobalWebIndex, among connected people surveyed across 17 markets, 91% own a smartphone, and people rank their smartphone as the #1 most important internet device.4
The mobile phone is the most dominant device used throughout an average Monday–Friday week for a heavy smartphone user in the UK. TV overtakes mobile only during primetime, 6:30–10:30 pm. Other devices in the mix throughout the work week include laptops or desktop PCs, tablets and regular game consoles.
Worktime is for messaging
As people head to work or travel throughout the day, their mobile devices remain their top screens even through most working hours. As mobile use grows, so does messaging. Across 8 markets, 51% of people surveyed say messaging has replaced other forms of communication.5 And this goes beyond personal connections, as most people are messaging businesses, including 61% of UK people surveyed. Messaging has become a norm and is particularly frequent during working hours.
IPA Touchpoints reports that all messaging user audiences in the UK over-index on working during an average day compared to all adults.6 The WhatsApp user base includes the largest proportion of working adults throughout the day.
WhatsApp users are also the most on-the-go audience of all three messaging user groups studied,7 with a larger proportion including travel activities during their workday. They also generally fit more activities (social and nonsocial) into their average day.
Evening is for multi-screening
As the day tails off, people tend to divvy their attention across screens: their TVs, laptops, tablets and mobile devices. On average, this multi-screening follows the same pattern as traditional TV viewing: Incidences are low early in the morning and throughout the day until about 4:30 pm.8
The majority of multi-screening happens from 7–9 pm, coinciding with primetime TV viewing and when people are relaxing after work. This does not vary much when comparing weekday to weekend, although daytime multi-screening is a little higher on the weekend. Heavy multi-screeners9 consume significantly more TV and other media than the average adult.10
What it means for marketers
Reach people throughout their day on mobile.
While people incorporate different devices throughout the day, mobile is the one constant, from early morning to evening multi-screening. Keep this in mind when constructing media plans to reach intended audiences efficiently.
Include a messaging strategy as part of a cross-media plan.
People’s use of messaging apps is on the rise, and people now message businesses in lieu of emailing or calling. See more about how messaging businesses is the new normal.
Create cross-platform content.
Reaching people across platforms has a multiplier effect. During multi-screening periods, optimize your creative for all devices so the campaign has strong impact.
